CICV praises industry for embracing payment campaign, but says more work needs to be done

The CICV has praised the industry for embracing its drive to improve payments and cashflow – and says the positive response to its recent campaign demonstrates that there is a real appetite for change across the sector.

The unique collective says the response from the industry to its payment survey, Best Practice Guide (BPG) and webinar has been “phenomenal” and has led to a flurry of follow-up activity that has reignited the debate about financial frustrations.

The CICV’s Len Bunton and David MacDonald recently discussed the BPG and industry issues on the popular Construction Cashflow Podcast with Stu Davidson, where they outlined the many pitfalls in modern payment practices – and the potential solutions suggested by the CICV.

Len also appeared on the Clive Holland Show on Fix Radio on 7 March where he again discussed the BPG and all things cashflow, telling listeners: “Payment in the construction industry has been a problem for many years. The big thing now is getting people to actually put the BPG into practice.”

The CICV says its efforts have also earned a great response on social media, with organisations rushing to praise the BPG and its long-term aims.

Industry consultant Len, who is Chair of the CICV Pipeline and Commercial sub-group, said: “The industry response to the CICV’s recent campaign has been nothing short of phenomenal and shows that people are fully engaged with changing the way we do things.

“The questions and comments we received at the recent CICV webinar on improving payments and cashflow in construction really demonstrated that people are serious about ripping up the status quo and making things fairer for the whole supply chain.

“The challenge now is converting this groundswell of support into real and meaningful change – and the whole industry needs to be on board to make that happen.”

Fellow CICV member Ian Honeyman, who is the Scottish Building Federation Commercial Director, added: “We have been extremely pleased by the positive response to the BPG, with contractors and sub-contractors thanking us for supplying potential solutions to the problems they continue to face.

“We also had great feedback to the initial CICV cashflow and payments survey, which started this whole campaign off by shining the spotlight on the longstanding issues that need addressing.”

Fellow CICV member and Finishes and Interiors Sector CEO Iain McIlwee said that while the response to recent activity had indeed been encouraging, the initial enthusiasm needed to be harnessed correctly.

He insisted: “We need to now build on this great start and keep the momentum going, sharing the BPG, asking questions and insisting that the industry puts in place real and practical change.

“Nothing will change if we don’t make it happen, so it’s up to everyone in our industry to commit to a real conversation about how we pay each other, from the top to the bottom of the supply chain.”

The survey, BPG and webinar are the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation as the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum in March 2020.

Made up of 29 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.